


Freedom

by theguybelowmesucks



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M, character with a heart condition, mentions of abuse later on, sex scene in a later chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-14
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-01 11:05:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1044095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theguybelowmesucks/pseuds/theguybelowmesucks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin, diagnosed with a serious heart condition that can be fatal, lives with Geoff—a very protective fatherly figure. When Gavin meets a new transfer student from New Jersey, Gavin can’t help but get closer to him and get a taste of a very different life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Have you been taking your medicine?”

“Yes, Geoff.”

“Don't lie to me, Gavin.”

“I'm not bloody lying!”

They went through this every single time Gavin was supposed to take his medications. Geoff would explain to Gavin each time that it was important to take the medicine exactly on the dot, because anything could happen. Without that medicine—Gavin would be dead. So, of course Geoff would worry like that, but it annoyed Gavin to an extent where he just didn't feel like taking those large pills.

Gavin has a heart condition—so it's difficult for him to do any sort of exercising or strenuous activity. Even at school, he has to sit out of gym class because of that very risk. So he's often sitting around in the library or in study hall, because he can't be left just sitting around doing absolutely nothing.

It's because of this condition that nearly everybody at school is cautious around him—carefully watching over him just in case anything should happen. Gavin was grateful for that, because who knows what he would be like without the condition? He could easily have been a bullied kid, or something equally as worse. So as much as he didn't really want to say it, his 'bad' heart has saved him a bunch of times.

“You know, Gavin...” Geoff tightened the lid on bottle of Gavin's heart medicine.

“I know, Geoff. I know what could happen if I don't take my medicine. You don't need to remind me every time I take it.” Gavin smiled as the pill sat on his tongue, and he grabbed his glass of water. Despite the fact that he's used to taking pills, he still gags on it here and there—so he took a swig of water and swallowed the pill. He gulped down water as fast as possible to make sure that the pill stays down, and he sighed. “Really, Geoff. I promise that I'll remember to keep taking them.”

Geoff pursed his lips and nodded, patting Gavin's shoulder. “Well, as long as you know.”

Geoff was always so overprotective of Gavin. While Gavin was glad that he had somebody there for him, it was things like this that made Gavin really regret moving to America. He had met Geoff near his house and once Geoff saw Gavin sitting around by the fence, he offered to take him in. Geoff didn't even know Gavin, and here he offered to take care of a British stranger that could have possibly been dangerous.

Gavin understood why Geoff was so protective of him, though, and he was glad to have somebody that cared for him like that. He was the best fatherly figure that Gavin could ever have.

When Gavin was younger, his father left when he was born. It wasn't too much of a deal for Gavin, but he wished he could have at least seen the jackass that would get his mother pregnant and then abandon her with a newborn baby. Not to mention that when he was 15, she passed away from some unknown condition that she never told anybody about.

Gavin was devastated, and that's when he took his and his mother's savings to get away from England and somehow making a living in America. He never thought about finding a place to live, so he resorted to living in the streets until somebody kind enough gave him money or asked him to stay.

And that kind person was Geoff.

“Don't worry, Geoff.” Gavin wrapped his arms around Geoff and hugged him tightly. “All right?” He pulled away and looked at the time. “Oh, bloody hell.”

“You've got school tomorrow.” Geoff smirked. “Go to bed.”

“All right, all right. I'm going.” Gavin giggled and waved. “Good night.”

“Good night, buddy. Sleep well.” Geoff waved back and headed back into his bedroom.

Gavin bit his lip and closed the door to his room behind him, heading for his bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed.

It wasn't until the next day at school that Gavin tried to be a 'normal' kid.

“Did you hear about the new guy?”

“Yeah, isn't he a Junior?”

Gavin listened in on the other conversations that students had while he ate lunch alone, most usually consisting of the new transfer student and, 'I wonder if he's hot?'. He rolled his eyes, and tuned the others out.

“Hey, Vav.”

Gavin looked over and smirked. “X-Ray.”

Ray Narvaez, or as Gavin called him, X-Ray, sat next to Gavin. Vav was his super special nick name for Gavin, and they both stuck with it ever since. “You're eating alone?”

“When aren't I?” Gavin took a bite out of his sandwich and shrugged. “I'm not too much of a people person, you know.”

“Yeah, but you should mix and mingle. You know, YOLO.” Ray waggled his eyebrows and shook his head. “I'm just kidding about that.”

“So, did you hear about the transfer student?” Gavin asked, ignoring Ray's suggestion. “The guy who moved from New Jersey?”

“Oh, yeah. Guess he's a Junior.”

“Yeah, that's what I heard.” Gavin shrugged. “I'm not too bloody excited about it though.”

“Everybody was excited when you transferred here.” Ray smiled, taking a bite out of his own lunch. “Man, do you remember that?”

“Yeah, and I ever want to experience that ever again.” Gavin bit his lip and tried to push the disturbing memory of girls circled around him and asking him very personal questions. “I'll feel bad for him once he's here.”

“He's already here, though.” Ray replied, nodding. “He's been here since this morning.”

“Huh.” Gavin narrowed his eyes, looking around the cafeteria. “He has? I don't bloody see him anywhere.”

“Nobody has.” Ray shrugged. “He's the talk of the school and he's been hiding ever since. Didn't attend any classes, nothing.” Ray chuckled and took another bite of his lunch. “He's pretty smart, if you ask me. Avoiding all of these crazy-ass girls.”

Gavin pursed his lips and scanned the cafeteria still, hoping to find somebody unfamiliar. After a few seconds, with no success, he got up from his seat. “I'm going to the third floor.”

“Oh?” Ray said with a mouth full of food. “Okay. Have a good one.”

Gavin waved back and dumped his food, then leaving the cafeteria for the third floor. The third floor held a great view of the outside—a huge window showing the yard of the school, where people usually roamed around this time. He liked to see what others were doing, as weird and creepy as it sounded, but he wondered what other people did in their lives without an actual heart condition. But he couldn't possibly know who these people were, or what was wrong with them, so he liked to assume that they were having the time of their lives. Possibly better than his life, anyway.

When he got to the top of the stairs, he froze. Somebody else was sitting at his usual spot, looking out the window too. Gavin squinted and climbed up the last step, cautiously making his way closer to the boy. He didn't recognize him, either, so it could have very easily been the new transfer student.

The boy looked over and watched Gavin approach slowly.

“...Hi.” Gavin mumbled, narrowing his eyes. “Who are you?”

The boy looked away. “You didn't hear about me?” His accent was pretty thick, beings he was from Jersey. Gavin stood by the wall and nodded.

“I did. But how was I supposed to know that you were the bloody transfer student?” Gavin replied, raising his eyebrow.

The guy shrugged. “Dunno. Just thought you assumed.”

Gavin nodded slowly, turning his head to the left so he could look out of the window. “So you like it up here?”

He hummed in agreement and leaned back, using his hands to hold him up. “Fuck yeah. It's a nice view. And a great way to be alone.” He paused. “Nobody really came up here, besides you.”

Gavin nervously chuckled. “Yeah, that's why I come up here, myself.” He smiled and sat next to him, deciding that he isn't hostile. “...Your name is Michael, isn't it?”

“Yeah. Michael Jones.” He smirked and looked at Gavin. “You?”

“Gavin Free.” Gavin introduced himself, nodding.

And they sat in silence for a long while, until the bell rang. Gavin looked over and saw Michael getting up, patting away at the bottom of his jeans as he walked off. Gavin wanted to call him back, ask him if he was going to be up here again tomorrow, but he didn't get the time to ask before Michael made it down the stairwell. Gavin frowned and got up, making his way for his locker so he could get to class.

When he got to class, he saw Michael sitting across from his usual desk. Gavin bit his lip and grew giddy, quickly walking over to his desk and nudging Michael's side. “We're in the same class, Michael.”

Michael looked over and frowned, moving his arm away. “Yeah, we are.” And he looked back to the front once the bell rang again. Gavin pursed his lips and leaned back into his chair, trying to ignore the idea that Michael was already getting annoyed by him despite the fact that they just met.

It was the first time that Gavin was ever really intrigued by anybody, and he expected many great things out of it.


	2. Chapter 2

“You're here again.”

Michael looked up from his sandwich and nodded. “Well, you are too.”

“I come here nearly every day.” Gavin sat down next to Michael and smiled. “So you either get used to it or just leave and don't faff about on your way out.” Gavin chuckled and pulled out his own lunch.

Michael decided to stay quiet and continue his lunch, taking occasional glances to look out the window. Gavin watched intently out of the corner of his eye, taking notice of this man's features. His freckles stand out the most, and that's what Gavin really enjoyed to look at the most.

“If you don't fuckin' mind, could I eat without you eying me like that?” Michael groaned and shut his eyes, taking another bite of his food. “You know, it's nice to eat without somebody staring at you like you're some new fucking creature.”

“Well, it's just...” Gavin started, frowning. He sounded a bit hurt. “I've never met somebody from Jersey.”

“Yeah? Well I never met anybody from England until now. I'm not staring you down, am I?” He paused. “Fuck no.” He answered his own question and looked over to Gavin. “I understand that I'm a new student, but that doesn't mean I'm from some fuckin' third world country. I'm no different from you.”

Gavin opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped himself and looked back to his food. He wanted to say that he was different from Michael, that he was actually really different and nowhere similar to him, but he didn't want Michael to know about that. So he shut his mouth and stayed quiet, occasionally taking bites of his food.

Michael got up from his seat and threw his leftover food away in the garbage can, and he started to walk downstairs.

“You're leaving now?” Gavin asked, nearly jumping out of his seat to follow Michael.

“...Yeah. Bell's about to ring.” Michael called back and made it downstairs. Gavin sighed and leaned back, not willing to eat anymore.

He kept his gaze on the ground as he thought about what Michael said. ' _I'm no different from you_.' echoed in his head. It bothered him greatly.“...I'm not like you. I'm bloody different, and it bothers me.” Gavin whispered to himself when he was sure that Michael was no where near. He pushed his food away and brought his legs up to his chest, hiding his head in between them. “I'm not 'normal'.”

* * *

 

“Did you take your--”

“Yes, Geoff.” Gavin sighed, then swallowed the last pill. “Just did.”

“Great.” Geoff called back from the living room. “How was school?”

Gavin shrugged as he walked into the living room with a glass of water. “It was all right. Did I tell you about the new kid?”

Geoff looked up at Gavin and raised his eyebrow in suspicion. “...No. What about him?”

Gavin smiled and sat down on the couch, being careful not to spill his water. “Ah, well.” Gavin paused, trying to think of what to say. He didn't really know much about Michael, so there wasn't really much he could say anyway. “He's from New Jersey. And he's really quiet.”

Geoff nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes. “...Okay?”

“And we've been hanging out at lunch for the past two days.” Gavin continued.

“All right.”

“And...well there's not much more to say. Oh! He's got a lot of freckles. And a heavy Jersey accent.”

Geoff chuckled and sighed. “Is that so? Well, that's nice. At least you're making new friends that isn't Ray.”

“Hey.” Gavin huffed. “Ray's a good friend.”

“I didn't say he wasn't.” Geoff shrugged. “It's Ray. I see him too many times a day.”

Gavin sighed and sat his now empty glass of water down on the table beside him. “Oh well. You've gotten used to him. He likes it here, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Geoff sighed. “I can't help but enjoy it when he's here.” He paused. “He's got a real sarcastic-ass mouth for being seventeen.”

Gavin chuckled and got up from the couch. “Yeah. He does.”

* * *

 

“Can we hang out?”

Michael looked up from his can of Mountain Dew. “You want to hang out?”

Gavin nodded. “...Yeah.”

“Aren't we already hanging out?”

“I mean, more than this.” Gavin paused, frowning. “After school.”

“Doesn't your Dad pick you up right away after school?” Michael asked, pausing to take a sip of his Mountain Dew. “You never have time because, right when he pulls up, you're scurrying all the way to his car like a fuckin' five year old.” He chuckled. “What are you gonna do?”

Gavin winced at the word 'Dad', and shivered.“He's just a close family friend. And I just won't go with him!” Gavin exclaimed angrily. “It's bloody easy. I just...” Gavin sighed. “I just want to be able to do things on my own, for once.”

Michael nodded. “What, does he keep you around the house?”

“Yeah. He's a bit...overprotective.” Gavin nervously chuckled, still not wanting to tell Michael the reason why Geoff was like that. “It's been a bit difficult.”

Michael grunted and got up from the ground, smirking. “Well, if you wanted to hang out after school, you should have told me.”

Gavin felt his face grow hot and he looked away. “I didn't think you'd want me to.”

“Just fuckin' say something next time, all right?” Michael nodded. “Bell's about to ring. I'll see you after school, then.” He turned around to go down the stairs, but before stepping down, he looked over his shoulder to talk to Gavin again. “Meet me by the back of the school building. He won't look there.”

Gavin stood up and nodded, watching Michael as he went downstairs. Once he was out of sight, Gavin squeaked and giggled. He was excited—it wasn't often that he got to hang with somebody else that wasn't Ray. He would be able to be somewhere else other than his house. If that wasn't exciting, he didn't know what 'exciting' was.

So after a seemingly long rest of the school day, Gavin grabbed his bookbag and took a different route to the outside of school. Geoff always waited in the front of the school, in the parking lot, so there was no way Gavin could get out of there without Geoff spotting him almost instantly. He made his way to the back door of the school and took a deep breath, reassuring to himself that he was actually doing this and that he may be causing trouble for himself later on. He shrugged it away, trying to think about the actual fun he would have today, rather than the wrath he would feel from Geoff at home.

He pushed the door open and squinted, the sun shining brightly in his eyes. He shaded his eyes with his hand and looked around, seeing where Michael would be standing. After a few minutes, Gavin let his arm fall down to his side. “Did he ditch me?” Gavin questioned.

“Nah. I'm not that much of a jerk.”

Gavin jumped and turned around, noticing Michael walking out of the school. “I was just running a bit late.”

Gavin nodded and smiled. “Oh.” He nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his head. He felt like such an idiot now, especially after saying that out loud and assuming the worst of it all when he was actually just right behind him. “That's...nice to hear.”

Michael chuckled and walked ahead of Gavin. “I bet it is.” He replied, turning around to walk backwards. “You comin'?”

Gavin bit his lip and nodded, quickly walking to catch up to Michael. His heart pounded—and he knew that what he was doing was going to end up bad, but he really wanted to hang out with Michael. He wanted to know more about the guy, mostly because he has such a weird attitude about everything. But mostly, he just wanted to be able to do things on his own free will without being held back.

“Where are we going?” Gavin asked, cautiously looking around as if Geoff would be standing right there.

“My house. Where else do you think?” Michael replied, nodding. “It's not too far from here, and there's really nothing else we can do.”

Gavin got his first taste of 'true freedom' once he left that school ground without Geoff.


	3. Chapter 3

“We're here.” Michael stopped abruptly in front of a gate. Gavin, who wasn't paying much attention at all, ran into Michael's back and groaned. Michael turned around and sighed. “Watch out, you idiot.”

Gavin rubbed his nose and frowned. “Sorry.” He mumbled before turning to look at Michael's house. His jaw dropped, his eyes wide upon seeing the house. “Bloody hell, Michael! You practically live in a damned mansion...”

Michael shrugged. “I guess that's one way of calling it.” Michael unlocked the gate with his key and pushed it open. “It's a fuckin' hassle, living here.”

Gavin followed Michael through the gate, and he turned around to close it. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Michael was already walking into the house, so he hurried up the steps and made his way into the large house, closing the door behind him and taking his shoes off. “Why do you live here if it's so much of a 'hassle'?”

Michael tossed his bookbag on the floor, not caring that some of his books slid out of it. “I've lived here for at least a week already, but I don't want to move out of here so soon.” Michael shrugged. “It's a bit bigger than it should be for someone my age, but cleaning is a fucking work out.”

Gavin chuckled and sat his own bookbag next to Michael's, making sure it sat upright so it wouldn't fall over like Michael's did. “It seems like it would be.”

“I've got all of this extra money, but I don't really want to hire any maids or whatever.” He paused, walking out into the kitchen. “You want something to drink?”

Gavin narrowed his eyes. “Uh...yes. Water will be fine.” He wondered why Michael was so 'rich' at his age. Unless he inherited it from someone, there's no way he can be that rich without some help. Unless he was famous? He doubted that, though.

Michael walked out from the kitchen and tossed Gavin a bottle of cold water. Gavin caught it, nearly dropped it on the floor, and smiled. “Thank you.”

Michael nodded after taking a sip of his Mountain Dew. “Like I was saying, maids would just be too awkward. They might steal something, too...”

“You don't have any help?” Gavin asked, slightly confused at the whole idea of Michael being the only one cleaning.

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Well, my parents aren't here.”

Gavin bit his lip. “Oh—I'm so sorry, I didn't--”

“Don't sweat it.” Michael turned around and pointed to a room with his finger. “Hey, let's go into the living room. Sit around or something.” He didn't wait for Gavin to answer, already making his way through the door by the time he finished talking. Gavin squeaked and screwed the lid back on his bottle of water, following Michael into the living room that was the size of his bedroom and bathroom combined. Gavin didn't think he could handle it here on his own, especially with his condition.

Michael took a seat on the couch and yawned, stretching out his entire body. “Man, I'm fucking tired.”

Gavin frowned and stood awkwardly by the coffee table, unsure of actually sitting down. He felt like he was in the wrong—he felt like he wasn't supposed to be there, feeling like he just invited himself in. Like an intruder, or something.

“You _can_ sit down, you know.”

“...Okay.” Gavin scooted over and sat on the far end of the couch, not willing to scoot any closer to Michael. He noticed Michael shrug out of the corner of his eye. He reached over to grab the TV remote off of the coffee table.

“Something you wanna watch?” Michael asked, pressing the power button on the remote. Gavin pursed his lips.

“Whatever you wanna watch is fine with me.” Gavin smiled. He didn't want to watch something that Michael didn't like—besides, Michael didn't seem like the one who would want to watch reality TV.

Michael shrugged again and changed it to a channel that Gavin wasn't familiar with—a cartoon channel. Gavin didn't mind, but cartoons wasn't his thing—and he didn't bother bringing it up to Michael for fear that he would sound picky. He didn't want to make a bad impression.

Gavin didn't know they would watch TV most of the time though, and by five o' clock, Gavin was done with cartoons. “...Are we going to do anything else?”

Michael looked over, blinking rapidly. “You want to? Jesus, just say something.” Michael hopped off the couch and turned the TV off. “We can go for a walk. It's not any better but at least we're doing something.”

Gavin looked at the window, noticing that the sun had started to set. He shook the feeling of fear off of his mind and nodded, following Michael outside.

Gavin took a deep breath and inhaled the outside scent, deciding that it really was nice to be outside like this. He was _outside_ without Geoff, without Ray—with somebody who was new, in a sense. He got a chance to hang out with somebody who wasn't the usual, and it was refreshing.

“I think we'll go to the park or something.” Michael said, interrupting Gavin's train of thought. Gavin jumped and looked over at Michael, and he nodded.

“Okay.” Gavin mumbled and walked beside Michael, silence taking control once again. Gavin never knew what to say to Michael, and Michael was usually the one who started most of the conversations. It worried Gavin even more because he didn't want Michael to grow bored of him—the whole idea of having to be stuck with Geoff and Ray again seeming very frightening.

And, of course, Michael had to point it out. “You're really quiet.”

Gavin bit his lip and looked away. “I'm sorry. It's just...”

“You're not a talkative person?”

Gavin looked at Michael from the corner of his eyes and sighed. “If you're putting it so bluntly, then yes.”

Michael nodded, taking a right when there was a fork in the road—and Gavin quickly followed in pursuit. “I don't understand why you would be, now. You were so fucking talkative at school. Why are you so quiet now?” He paused. “Could you be thinking about your 'close family friend'?”

“Y-You mean, Geoff?” Gavin stuttered, wondering how Michael saw through him like that. “No. Of course not! It's just that--”

“You never go outside too often?”

Gavin pursed his lips and sighed. He didn't expect Michael to guess so close to home—or really, right at home.

“That's it, isn't it?” Michael smirked and wrapped his arm around Gavin's shoulders, bring him closer. “Hey, it's all right. You're out here, now. You should be fuckin' happy that you can spend time away from 'jail'.”

“When you put it like that, it seems like I was a bloody prisoner.” Gavin commented, agreeing with Michael. “I guess you're right.”

“You know, you can tell me about things that are bothering you. No use keeping it pent up like that.” Michael smiled, rubbing Gavin's shoulders as a form of comfort. “I won't judge you for anything.”

Gavin liked that Michael was allowing him to vent, but he didn't want to tell Michael everything just yet. There are things that he wanted to keep as a secret—something that only the closest of people would know. Things like his heart condition—he didn't want Michael to know that this early in their slowly budding relationship for fear of abandoning him. Because he had a 'weak' heart, he'd feel like a 'weak' and, ultimately, a 'useless' person.

He didn't like feeling that way.

“Thank you for the offer, Michael.” Gavin nodded. “But I don't to bloody burden you with my problems.”

“Who fuckin' cares?” Michael groaned. “I offered, so take the damn thing. I don't do this for just about anybody.”

Gavin felt himself turn red, and all of a sudden, the mood seemed to have changed. He felt like their relationship has developed more over these past few days that they've been talking. It made Gavin feel even more comfortable—and really, he did want to, someday, tell Michael about his heart.

“...Okay. All right!” Gavin giggled, covering his mouth as he tried to keep his giggles a bit quiet. “Bloody hell, that's kind of you.”

“Shut the fuck up, or I'll take back everything that I said.

“Hey! Michael--”

“I said 'shut up'!” Michael said through gritted teeth, holding back a chuckle.

Gavin giggled again, the shaking of his shoulders making Michael's arm bounce up and down. Michael groaned and pulled his arm away, letting it drop to his side.

Gavin was excited. Being around Michael like this calmed him—made him forget about everything that was bothering him in the first place. As weird as it sounded for hanging out with somebody for the first time, he found solace in Michael—but he would never directly tell Michael that, especially right now when they were having their own fun talking about random shit.

Finally, when night rolled in, Gavin knew that he should head home. He was tempted not to bring it up to Michael, but he knew that Geoff was probably worrying, so he did the right thing.

“Michael, I should probably go home.”

“Wow, don't sound too excited.” Michael smirked and turned around, facing the opposite direction. “I'll take you home.”

Gavin's eyes widened, and he shook his head. “No, no. You don't have to do that!” He really wouldn't have minded, but he didn't want Geoff to see Michael yet. Geoff was always one who would judge people based on their looks, and to see Michael for the first time would give him the impression that he is a 'bad' kid and that he wouldn't want Gavin to be around such a bad influence.

“Come on, it's the least I could do. You walked all the way out here from school and you pretty much told Him to 'fuck off'.” Michael smiled and grabbed Gavin's hand, pulling him along. “Also, I'm pretty sure you don't know the way home from here.”

Gavin paled, his heart sinking. Michael was right—he didn't even know where he was. He didn't know the way home, and he realized that if he were to go by himself—he would never get home.

“I was right.” Michael nodded after realizing that Gavin wouldn't reply. “Goddamn, I'm good.” He chuckled and still kept tugging on Gavin's hand. “I wouldn't take you home if you didn't to, but it'd be good if I didn't screw anything up.”

Gavin nodded and looked down at the ground, his face burning bright red. He didn't expect Michael to be so willing to do this, even after he seemed so disinterested at school. Michael appeared to be a different person outside of school, and Gavin didn't know how he felt about it.

He hoped that they would be friends with each other for a long, long time.


	4. Chapter 4

“ _This_ is where you live?”

Michael frowned at the small, slightly run-down house. The front yard needed to be mowed desperately and the fence on the left side was bent over, as if somebody put all of their weight on it so they could get into the yard. Not to mention that the paint on the house was chipped, revealing a dirty color of brown wood.

“What?” Gavin bit his lip. “Well, we're not bloody rich unlike _some_ people.” Gavin sighed and pointed. “Go away—I don't want Geoff to see you.”

“Geoff?” Michael pursed his lips. Then he gasped and nodded. “Oh, _Geoff_. Your family friend, or whatever.” He shrugged and let go of Gavin's hand, smirking. “I'll see you at school tomorrow, then.”

Gavin nodded and waved. “Yeah. Bye.” And he watched Michael walk back in the direction that they came. Once Michael was out of sight, Gavin turned around and took a deep breath.

“I'm scared.” He said to himself, wiping his palms on his shirt. “Geoff's gonna be pissed.”

There was no doubt that Geoff would be angry. Gavin knew once he asked Michael to hang out in the first place—he knew what he was risking, and he knew that he wouldn't get out of it scotch-free. “Probably should have talked to him before I did anything. I'm such a stupid idiot.”

Gavin grasped the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door open quietly, hoping that Geoff might be asleep—but that was very unlikely.

Before Gavin could close the door, he heard a voice to the right of him. “Where the _fuck_ have you been?” He heard a chair being scraped across the floor and feet pattering over to where he stood. Gavin pursed his lips and felt himself being turned around, and he was suddenly being held close to Geoff's chest. “It's so late. You didn't tell me where you were, and--”

“I know, I know.” Gavin replied, wrapping his arms around Geoff. “I'm sorry. I really should have told you--”

“But where were you?” Geoff pulled away, and Gavin noticed the bags under his eyes. Gavin knew he had work tomorrow, but Geoff stayed up despite that. Gavin suddenly felt guilty. “I called Ray, and he said you were never there. I called the school and they said they hadn't seen you since you left school _without me._ ” Geoff shrugged. “I was ready to call the cops. I was gonna report a kidnap or something.” Geoff sighed and shook his head, pulling away.

Gavin nervously chuckled and frowned. “I know, I'm really sorry.”

“You're avoiding the question.”

Gavin looked around the room nervously and tried to think of something else to say, but he knew he didn't have a logical excuse. “...I was at a friend's place.”

“Who? That new kid? What's his name, Mitchell?” Geoff struggled to remember the new guy's name. “From Jersey?”

“Michael. It's Michael, Geoff.” Gavin held back laughter and suddenly grew serious again. “I went over to his place after school because I wanted to hang out with him. We watched TV and then we walked around for a little while...” Gavin rambled on about everything they did, that way Geoff knew that he wasn't up to no good.

Geoff pursed his lips. “You know that you shouldn't have done--”

“I know I shouldn't have done it, and I promise to bring it up to you before I do it again.”

“That's not what I'm talking about.” Geoff paused, pointing at Gavin's heart. “I'm talking about _that_. You know the slightest bit of exercise, whether it be walking or not, can seriously fuck you up.”

Gavin bit his lip and looked down at the finger pointing at his chest, right where his heart would be. He didn't know what to say—he was just at a loss of words because Geoff was certainly right. Anything could have happened then, and Michael wouldn't have known what to do and Geoff wouldn't have known that it happened.

“Secondly, you didn't even take your medicine yet.”

Gavin almost forgot about his medicine. _Almost_. But it lingered in the back of his mind—and yet, he wasn't too bothered about it. If he didn't take the medicine, he knew that he would be okay with it—unlike the others around him. Especially Geoff.

“...You're not going to say anything?” Geoff frowned and stood back, grabbing the bottle of pills and practically slamming them in front of Gavin. “Fine. It's late, so after you take your medicine, go to bed.” He walked away, but paused before walking into his room. “Goodnight.”

Gavin heard the door shut, and he sighed. He leaned onto the counter and eyed the bottle, suddenly despising everything about it. It's what keeps him alive, so he's practically despising his life as a whole.

He pursed his lips and stood up, unscrewing the lid off of his medicine and popping one into his mouth.

The next day, he walked up to the third floor at lunch—bags under his eyes.

“Wow. You look like shit.” Michael chuckled and scooted over so Gavin would have enough room. “How did it go?”

“Thanks for the compliment. Makes me feel way better.” Gavin said sarcastically. “Smegpot.”

“I don't know what that means, Gavin.”

“You don't need to know.” Gavin huffed. He opened his baggy and pulled out the sandwich. “He sure did give me a talk, though.”

“Oh yeah?” Michael frowned and took a sip from his Mountain Dew—Gavin noticed that Michael seemed to like Mountain Dew the most. “That's shitty.”

“You're telling me.” Gavin looked away and kept quiet—not wanting to explain everything that they talked about, mostly because it consisted of his heart condition.

Michael leaned back and put his lunchbox to the side, sighing. “Does that mean we can't hang out?”

Gavin bit his lip and shrugged. “Well, Geoff didn't say _that_ specifically.” Gavin wanted to hang out with him a lot more—and he wasn't going to let Geoff's little speech bother him. “I mean, as long as I let Geoff know that I'll be with you, it should be fine?” Gavin wasn't even sure himself.

Michael nodded and looked over, his lips pursed. “If you're worried, I don't want--”

“No!” Gavin looked over, his eyes narrowing at Michael. “...No. I'm not worried. Not one bloody bit.”

“Okay.” Michael shrugged. “All right. So, do you want to hang out again today?”

Gavin knew he shouldn't today—perhaps sticking around the house so that he could make Geoff happier. Gavin knew that he had bad intentions by tricking Geoff like that—but he wanted to prove to Geoff that he can hang out with others without having to worry about his heart condition. Besides, Gavin was capable of taking care of himself—he did that easily when he flew to America on his own. Why wouldn't he be able to, now? “I would but not today.”

“I thought it didn't worry you?”

“Yeah. It _doesn't_.” Gavin didn't know why he started to feel anger boil up inside him. “Don't get me wrong, Michael. I do want to hang out with you—I'd rather be with you than be stuck inside my house with Geoff, like always.” He paused, noticing the smirk on Michael's face. Gavin didn't even know what else to say.

“Okay, okay.” Michael nodded and sat up again, grabbing his lunch box and finishing the rest of his Mountain Dew. “I get it. I'm sorry for bothering you.” He got up and chuckled. “Well, if you ever do decide that you want to hang out with me tonight, I'll be at the park where we walked around. You know that bench by that huge tree? There.”

Gavin watched Michael walk away, his eyes wide. Now he _had_ to go, knowing that Michael would be waiting for him at the park.

* * *

 

“You're not running away today?” Geoff grumbled when Gavin hopped into the car. Gavin sighed and shut the door, pulling his seatbelt on.

“No. Does it look like it?” Gavin put his bookbag on the floor of the car and bit his lip. He was going to, later. Gavin knew that he couldn't tell that his face, though.

“I'm proud of you. Man, I thought you were going through one of those 'rebel phases'.” Geoff chuckled, sounding genuinely happy. It saddened Gavin. “You're better at home, anyway. You're safe and free from harm.”

Gavin looked over and noticed the pained look on Geoff's face, now. It was as if he was thinking about all the “bad” things that could happen from going outside—especially Gavin. “...Yeah.” Gavin hesitated to agree, and he turned his head to look out the window.

Once home, Gavin went to his room and threw his bookbag by his bed. “Gotta figure out a time to leave.” He muttered to himself, pacing back and forth. “When?”

He looked at the digital clock by his bed and nodded. “After dinner would be best.”

So after he finished eating dinner—and trying to stay as calm and collected as possible without revealing any sort of plan whatsoever—he went back up to his room. The second floor wasn't too high from the ground, so he would be able to escape without injuring himself in the least.

So when he waited—thinking that Geoff would accidentally fall asleep—the phone rang. He hissed and ran to the window, taking that as his chance because it was now or never and Geoff was occupied. Surely, the phone call wasn't for him.

He landed on the ground with a _thump—_ and started to run away from the house. He knew that all this running wouldn't be good but he needed to get far away before Geoff realizes that he was gone. He panted and gasped for air—feeling his heart work with the little strength it had. It was as if his heart was ready to give out—but Gavin wouldn't let it, using whatever strength he did have to make sure that he wouldn't faint by the time he made it to the park.

How he remembered to get to the park—he didn't even know himself, but he was glad that he could make it there right when the streetlights turned on.

Michael looked up from the ground and smirked—but it immediately turned into a frown when he saw Gavin hunched over, gasping desperately for air.

“Woah, woah.” Michael got up from the bench and wrapped his arm around Gavin, bringing him over to the bench. “What the hell? What happened?”

Gavin shook his head, his throat feeling like it was stabbed by knifes as he gasped sharply. It was really difficult for him to regain his breath—and his heart throbbed so hard that it hurt. He knew it was going to end up bad—and yet, it didn't bother him too much. He didn't even really understand why he felt like this, knowing that if he isn't careful, he could die. Dead.

Michael patted Gavin's back, rubbing comforting circles hoping that it would calm him down. “I would give you water, but I don't have any.” Michael frowned. “You didn't have to fuckin' run here like that—I planned on being here for a little while longer.”

“No--” Gavin leaned against the bench now, still a bit winded from the run. “It's all right. I needed to--”

“You didn't.” Michael groaned, shaking his head. “Listen. If you're panting that much after running—then you didn't need to run. It makes me feel like shit, y'know? Like it's my fault.”

Gavin looked over at Michael and frowned, guilt beginning to settle in. “I'm sorry--”

Michael leaned over and stopped Gavin from talking—his lips crashing against Gavin's. Gavin gasped in the kiss and attempted to back away, but the armrest of the bench stopped him from moving anymore. Eventually, he let Michael continue with the kiss—and after a few seconds, he pulled away.

“I care about you—really, you're the only who who attempts to get even close to me.” Michael looked away, scratching the side of his cheek. “You're the first one out of the whole school to talk to me—even if I seemed like I wanted to be alone. You can be annoying as fuck, but I don't mind it all too much.”

Gavin's eyes grew wide as he listened to Michael.

“It's only been like a week since I moved here, but it's like I've known you for longer—and that's weird as fuck.” Michael pursed his lips and shrugged. “If you don't feel the same, then--”

“But I do--” Gavin interrupted Michael, and he covered his mouth quickly. He felt his face turn red, and he sighed—feeling a lot better now that he's been sitting down and taking it easy. The confession was a huge surprise to him, though, because he was sure that Michael didn't even like him that way. “I do like you...err,” Gavin looked around, finding the right words to say. “I mean that I feel the same--”

“It's okay. I get it.” Michael nodded, saving Gavin from speaking. He let out a small chuckle and smiled. “I guess I'm glad to hear that, then.” He paused. “Hey...you didn't tell Geoff that you would be here, did you?”

Gavin bit his lip and nodded. “Yeah.”

“You're a fuckin' idiot.”

“I know, I know.”


	5. Chapter 5

Gavin grasped Michael's hand tightly as they walked down the street, becoming even more nervous as they approached the house.

“I'm coming in with you whether you like it or not.” Michael nodded. “I want to talk to Geoff.”

Gavin bit his lip. “I don't think that's a bloody good idea.”

“You're just a wuss. You can't let Geoff keep you on a close leash like that. You're almost eighteen for God's sake—he needs to realize that you'll be going on your own eventually, and that you can't keep relying on him for every little fucking thing.” Michael sighed.

“I know...” Gavin felt his heart racing—he didn't want Geoff to bitch at Michael. He didn't want Geoff to do _anything_ to Michael—but Gavin couldn't convince Michael otherwise.

“Don't sound too down about it.” Michael nudged Gavin's side and smiled. “Hopefully I can get a point across.”

Gavin had a feeling that Michael wouldn't, but he didn't dare mention that.

Upon arriving the house, Gavin noticed the kitchen light was on. “Bloody hell, he's right there!” Gavin exclaimed, pointing.

“Yeah?” Michael shrugged, pulling Gavin up to the door. He brought his fist up to the door and knocked, definitely getting Geoff's attention.

“I could have just walked in...” Gavin said to himself, but then he held his breath and listened for footsteps. He bit his lip and heard feet quickly patting on the ground, getting louder and closer. Gavin pulled away and grabbed the sleeve of Michael's shirt, holding it tightly, as if it would help him feel better.

Michael smirked right as the door opened, and the two men stared at each other. Michael kept that smirk plastered on his face, not willing to make any other expression. Geoff pursed his lips and he shifted his gaze onto Gavin. Gavin jumped and furrowed his brows, a complete frown on his face, now.

Those few seconds of silence explained everything—as if the silence spoke for them.

Geoff sighed and turned around, signaling with his hand that they can follow him in. Michael looked over at Gavin and shrugged, and Gavin let go of Michael's shirt to go inside. Michael walked in, closing the door behind him, and following Gavin into the living room.

Geoff sat down on the couch and crossed his legs, his facial expression stern. Gavin couldn't tell what he was thinking, and he was surprised that Geoff hadn't threatened to beat Michael. Geoff seemed like that kind of person, anyway. Gavin sat down next to Geoff, and Michael took a seat in the recliner across from the couch.

Geoff clasped his hands together and nodded, looking up at Michael. “I'm assuming you're that new kid that Gavin talks about all the time.”

Michael glanced over at Gavin and chuckled, noticing the light blush on his face. Gavin lightly tapped Geoff's arm to get his attention and shook his head.

“I'm assuming so.” Michael shrugged.

“From Jersey?”

“Yep.”

Geoff nodded again. “Do you know how late it is?” He glanced at the clock and closed his eyes, as if he was trying to hold back the urge to yell. “It's ten fucking thirty on a school night.” Geoff opened his eyes and leaned back onto the couch, staring coldly at Michael. “That's not even what pisses me off.” He looks over to Gavin. “You sneaked out. You fucking sneaked out. If you would have asked, I _might_ have been okay with it.”

Gavin bit his lip and looked away, not willing to make any further eye contact.

“Listen, _Geoff._ ” Michael pursed his lips and leaned over, resting his arms on his knees. Geoff immediately snapped his head back to Michael. “Maybe if you weren't so fucking strict and keeping the poor guy stuck inside all day, he wouldn't have done that. You can't expect to keep him cooped up in here all day.”

“I can do whatever--”

“No. You don't fucking understand.” Michael sighed. “Keeping someone locked up like that will only _make_ them want to be 'bad'. Sneaking out like that? That was because he _knew_ you wouldn't let him go out. So he found other means of doing so, albeit the wrong way.” Michael ranted, but he knew that what Gavin did was right. Gavin needed to do something about the whole 'strict' deal with Geoff, and that was just the right way to do so. He just made the words sound right so Geoff wouldn't freak the fuck out on him.

Geoff scowled, realizing that he was defeated. He didn't know how to reply, so he shut up and looked away, keeping his eyes fixed on the door.

“See?” Michael pointed, nodding. “You know I'm right. Why don't you let loose? The poor kid can't even go out in _sunlight_ without you all over his fucking ass.”

Gavin watched Geoff nod slowly and turn his head to look back at Michael again. “You don't understand.”

“What the fuck do I not understand?” Michael sounded offended. “There's nothing that's difficult to understand about this. You're just being a huge dick to him.”

“No, that's not what I'm talking about.” Geoff replied. Gavin tapped Geoff's arm again.

“No,” Gavin thought. “He's going to tell Michael, isn't he?” Gavin kept a frown on his face, being sure to show his distaste in what Geoff was about to do. Hopefully Geoff got the idea, but Gavin wasn't so sure that Geoff understood. He didn't want Michael to find out yet—he wanted it to be kept a secret for as long as possible. He wasn't ready to see how Michael would react, so he wanted to keep that whole issue hidden. Only he and Geoff would know, and he wanted it to stay that way.

Geoff looked over and saw the look on Gavin's face—and immediately, he pursed his lips and nodded. “Never mind. Fuckin' forget it.” Geoff got up from the couch and left the room. “Leave.”

Michael went to open his mouth, but he stopped himself. He stood up from the couch and headed to the door—and Gavin watched, noticing that Michael gave a little wink before he left the house.

After the door shut, Geoff walked back into the living room and glared at Gavin. He waited a few minutes before saying anything, as if he was making sure that Michael actually left.

“What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing, Gavin?” Geoff asked. “We talked about this once before. What don't you understand?”

“Geoff, I--”

“Listen,” Geoff interuppted Gavin, not willing to let him speak. “with your condition, you can't be left alone to do whatever you want. You should actually be kept on a close watch, but lately, that proves to be fucking difficult.” Geoff paused, taking a deep breath. “As much as I don't want to say it, but you're a burden. I don't mean to offend you, but you are. Your heart proves to be your weak point, and if you so as manage to do something an average teenage boy would do at your age, you'll collapse.”

Gavin felt his throat close up—hearing those words come out of Geoff's mouth nearly made him want to break down. He respected Geoff—but to be called a 'burden' by him—it stung. It hurt like a motherfucker, and it only made Gavin feel worse about himself and his condition.

“I know that what I'm saying isn't said right, but it's the blunt truth. And it definitely hurts, but doesn't the truth always hurt?” Geoff continued, obviously noticing the pained look on Gavin's face. “Your life is heart medicine. I know you want to go out and be active, but you simply can't until we figure something out. There's nothing we can do about your condition except give you more medicine, and that isn't even too effective. Trust me, I want you to be able to do more with your life—I want you to have fun, but believe me when I'm saying I'm doing the right thing for your own good.”

Gavin could feel himself spiraling downwards, downwards—sadness overtaking him. He didn't need to hear this right now. He would have been better off just being up in his room like he normally was, happy with his life before Michael came along.

Now that he thought about it, all of this was Michael's fault. Michael was the only person he's ever come across who was dead-set on getting Gavin to feel 'free'. To be out in the real world, and to get out of his house. He never would have felt so bad about himself like he was now, so long as Michael never came into his life.

“I'm sorry. I probably said too much. I know that it's harsh, but I wanted to get my point across.” Geoff's voice cracked, but it wasn't the usual crack. It sounded as if he was holding back the urge to cry—which is really odd, considering Gavin has never seen the guy break down before. “You know I really care for you, so I guess I show it by being 'strict'.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I don't like that Michael guy too much, you know? I'm sure you know, but I just wanted to be sure.”

Gavin bit his lip, holding back the urge to tell Geoff to shut up right there. He knew Geoff cared, but to go and say that he hated somebody he liked? He didn't like that at all, and it pissed Gavin off. He stood up and walked into the kitchen, grabbing his medicine to take.

“You're actually doing it on your own for once?” He heard Geoff ask from the other room. Gavin pursed his lips and popped the pill into his mouth, going to the fridge for water. “I'm shocked.” It's as if Geoff was begging for an argument.

Gavin swallowed the pill and sighed, shutting the fridge and leaving to go up to his room. “I'm going to bed.”

“Oh.” Geoff followed Gavin and stopped him before he climbed up the stairs. Geoff spun Gavin around and pulled him into a hug, but before letting him go, he brought his mouth to Gavin's ear. “And, listen. Just remember that, even though you would be a huge burden to Michael—you would never be one for me. I actually enjoy taking care of you like this.” Geoff pulled away and nodded. “Good night.”

Gavin closed his eyes and turned around, walking up the stairs—not willing to reply to Geoff. He slammed his door shut and sat on his bed, staring at the wall in front of him.

He wanted to hate Geoff. He really did, but he couldn't. No matter what he did—that man did a lot for him when he needed it the most, and to just push him away now—he just couldn't.

It bothered Gavin. It frustrated him—made him seethe with anger. Geoff knows exactly how Gavin feels, and he's definitely abusing that 'power' as much as he can.

Gavin hated feeling like he had no backbone. He wanted to stand up for himself, but Michael did that for him—and look what good that did. Absolutely nothing. He knew that, if he stood up for himself, Geoff would realize it. But he doesn't care what anybody else says or thinks, so he just keeps in mind that, if Gavin doesn't say anything—it must be all right.

It wasn't all right.

It was _never_ all right.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight mention of abuse, next chapter will explain it.

Gavin needed to talk to Michael. He wanted to apologize for yesterday, considering Geoff treated him like shit. Michael attempted to stand up for Gavin, but it ended up being useless, considering Geoff didn't listen to a single bit of it.

But, the thing was, he hadn't seen Michael all day. It seemed like Michael wasn't there today, but he was pretty sure that he didn't skip. At least, he had hoped he didn't. It was urgent that he needed to speak to him, but if he wasn't there—there was no way he would risk going straight to his house after school only to enrage Geoff even more. He didn't want to go through another talk with that man.

He was just about to give up when he suddenly caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye. He gasps, and he turned his head—but he froze in his steps when he saw it.

Michael was leaning against a woman—some girl Gavin didn't know—and he had his hand resting on her chin, pulling her mouth open as he went in for a kiss. Gavin bit his lip, watching the entire scene play in front of him. Michael was completely oblivious that he was watching, but the girl noticed half way through the kiss and pushed Michael away. She looked extremely uncomfortable and darted her eyes away, walking away. Michael threw his arms up in the air and groaned.

“Fine. Just walk away.” He muttered under his breath, and he turned around—only to be greeted by Gavin. He jumped backwards, and he chuckled. “God damn, you scared me. What are you doing?”

Gavin narrowed his eyes at Michael, and he kept his mouth shut. He looked past Michael at the girl who was walking away, and then back at Michael. He noticed Gavin's gaze, and he looked around, shrugging. “Forget her.”

“How can I just forget her?” Gavin asked, shocked at how cool Michael was. He didn't know why he was so jealous, considering they weren't even dating. He shouldn't be getting too worked up, but it definitely bothered him—especially since yesterday's events.

“It's all right.” Michael shrugged again, still acting like it was no big deal. “She's nothing.”

“Why were you all over her?” Gavin asked. “Bloody hell, you had your mouth all over hers!” He pursed his lips when he realized that Michael wasn't going to answer, so he walked past him with anger.

“Wait, Gavin--!” Michael called out, attempting to catch up with Gavin. Gavin stomped down the hall, not willing to stop for Michael to only “push” the whole situation away. Suddenly, speaking with Michael wasn't so important anymore.

It didn't seem worth it.

It was odd, to see Michael act like that. Just yesterday, he was fighting against Geoff for Gavin's freedom—it was a very kind act, and Gavin was sure that Michael had genuine feelings for him. He had genuine feelings for Michael, as well. But after that event, he was just so confused.

It hurt Gavin. He had just started to trust Michael, but now he wasn't so sure. He had so many questions, but he didn't even want to talk to Michael about it. Hopefully, he could just get over it soon. Really, though. Obviously, something was going on between the two.

“Gavin!” Michael exclaimed again, pleading for Gavin to come back. He wasn't giving up.

Suddenly, Gavin stopped in the middle of the hallway—Michael didn't realize this until the last minute and he bumped into him. He stumbled backwards with a groan and, after recovering, he stood up straight and pursed his lips. “Wait.”

Gavin turned around and crossed his arms. “Why were you with her?”

Michael's eyes shifted back and forth, and he sighed. “It was nothing, really—”

“I saw! I was bloody right there, Michael.” Gavin pointed to where he was last standing, observing the scene not even five minutes ago. “How can you tell me that it's 'nothing'?”

Michael held up his hands in defense and shook his head. “Listen. It was a fucking mistake. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm in the wrong, I realize that.” Michael shrugged. “People make mistakes. It just happened. She came up to me, started talking about how she wanted to 'hang out',” and at this, he put his fingers up in the air and made quote signs, “and, well. Yeah.” Michael frowned. He leaned closer to Gavin and nodded. “Besides, I have you. I have you, and I shouldn't have done that with her.”

Gavin pursed his lips and let out a defeated sigh. Michael was really good at explaining himself, whether it was a lie or not. Gavin couldn't help but fall for it—dumbstruck love, as they say. Especially at that age, love was something that every teenager was blind with. So it wasn't unusual for said teenagers to get themselves into bad, heartbreaking relationships. Now, Gavin wasn't saying that he got himself into a bad relationship, but he hoped that Michael wasn't _one_ of those people. “...Fine.” Gavin felt his face turn a bright shade of red, and he looked away. “I'll believe you.”

Michael moved away and let out a sigh of relief, and then he wrapped his arm around Gavin's waist. “Great. That's a fucking relief.”

Gavin's eyes shot down toward the arm around his waist, and he resisted the urge to pull away. He wasn't one who liked to “show” how close they were like that in public, but Michael obviously didn't have a problem with it at all. Judging by the whole situation that happened just recently, anyway.

“Wanna go to my place?” Michael asked, nudging Gavin with his own waist.

Gavin frown and his brows furrowed. “I don't know about that one.”

“Pfft,” Michael sputtered, and he let out a small chuckle. “You're still worrying about him? Come on. I'll talk to him again if I have to.”

“But you don't have to, that's the thing.” Gavin replied, trying to get himself out of this situation. He still didn't want to anger Geoff anymore than he was already.

“All that talk and it didn't do a thing,” Michael sighed, shaking his head. “I'll have another talk with him again. He deserves a swift kick in the--”

“Woah,” Gavin chuckled, enjoying Michael's concerns. “It's okay. You don't need to talk to him again. I just need to do it on my own.”

“Yeah you do.” Michael replied, letting go of Gavin's waist to walk down the stairs. “Oh, he's waiting outside right now, isn't he?” Michael's face scrunched up, as if he looked disgusted. “Fuck.”

Gavin nodded. “Yeah.” He walked by the door once he got to the bottom of the stairwell and took a peek outside, noticing the car quite a bit away from the door. It looked like he was reading a book. Gavin quickly moved his head away from the door so Geoff wouldn't catch up, and he sighed. “Let's just go.”

“You really want to?” Michael asked, asking for reassurance. “You're not gonna be worried about him going off on you?”

“Well, I _am_ worried, you donut.” Gavin chuckled. “But I want to go, anyway.”

Michael smirked. “Great. Don't get pissed at me if something happens.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “I know, I won't.”

Gavin grabbed Michael's hand, and they went to the opposite end of the school—taking the usual route to Michael's house.

Half way there, something suddenly occurred to Gavin.

“Hey, Michael?” Gavin asked, his head turning to the side to look at him.

“What?”

“What were you like when you were younger?” Gavin asked, wondering what he was like. “I'm curious.”

Michael's head dropped a bit, and he looked at the ground. His hand gently squeezed Gavin's, and Gavin had the idea that it was the wrong question to ask.

“Oh—I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—”

“No, it's all right.” Michael looked back up, a small smile on his face. “Yeah, I'll tell you. It's not a happy one, though.”

Gavin bit his lip. “I'll listen.”

Michael took a deep breath. His hand squeezed Gavin's hand even tighter, and he shook his head.

“Do you like to listen to stories about abuse?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a small scene of smut/frottage

Gavin waited patiently for Michael to begin—but Michael hesitated. He didn't want to bring it up again, but Gavin asked—and it wasn't like he could make up some excuse about how his family was the most fucking perfect family in the entire world and that he somehow became like he is today, because that was definitely not the case. He would never make his family sound better than they weren't. He took a deep breath, and let out a small sigh.

He gave a slight chuckle. “I don't even know where to fucking start.”

“The beginning, Michael.” Gavin smiled, and he gave a reassuring squeeze to Michael's hand. “Or whenever things started to change for you. That would be a great place to start.” Gavin knew that Michael was afraid to speak, judging by the tensing of his body. Michael seemed to have starting walking a bit slower, and Gavin noticed that he was walking ahead of Michael, his hand reaching behind him to still hold Michael's. Gavin gave a light tug on Michael's hand and pulled him forward, and he nodded. “It's all right.”

Michael nodded. “Okay.” He pursed his lips and took another deep breath. “Well, obviously, I was abused when I was younger. By my mother and father—though my mother's abuse was more emotional unlike my father's, which was more physical. They were just fucked up people, anyway, so it wasn't a surprise now that I look back at it.” Michael shrugged. “But, ever since I was about the age of five, they've decided to let out their anger on me by doing just that. Honestly, I can barely remember before that, where we seemed like one of those 'happy' families that always do things together, but something just happened and they decided to change their behaviors completely.

“The first time it happened was when I came home from school, and all seemed pretty fine. They usually ask me how my day went, if I learned anything, if I made new friends—and I answered every single question. But, I dunno—apparently I didn't answer every single one the way that they wanted me to, and my father jumped out of his seat and stormed all the way across the room to me, and he glared at me.” Michael shivered, remembering the scene vividly in his head that it was almost happening once more. “I remember seeing the anger well up in his face, judging by how red he was and how much he was shaking, and I remember seeing his hand fly up in the air. Of course, I never thought twice about it because I had never been abused before, let alone that I even knew about such a thing.

“His hand flew and smacked me across the face—my cheek fuckin' burned. I felt the sting, the burning, the heat radiating—it was fucking scary. I didn't really think much about it until the realization hit me—that's not a pun, by the way—and I remember bawling my eyes out. I heard my mother scream, but as soon as she pushed my dad away, she got up close and almost looked sympathetic. However, she just whispers into my ear that I'm a 'worthless child who shouldn't have been born, who was meant to be a mistake and that I'll have no real place in life.' I was five at the time so of course I didn't understand what that meant, but the way she said it didn't sound like it was a good thing, so I cried even more.”

Gavin pursed his lips, his head looking down at the road. He watched their feet press onto the road as they walked, and watched their shadow overhead. He wasn't expecting it to be this sad, but what else could he have expected? No abuse story is ever going to be happy, or at least not sad. Gavin swallowed, suddenly growing nervous. He knew he probably shouldn't have brought it up.

“And after that, it just escalated to be something worse. I was injured even more and it had gotten to the point where my mother just made my brain shut down each time she was near me. I felt like I was some test subject, or some ragdoll.” Michael continued. “So, I guess that can kinda explain how I am today—a bit mean, perhaps even harsh, and certainly not the best of people. I just don't want to repeat the same thing that they did to me.”

“I understand.” Gavin replied, nodding to make sure that Michael knew that he was listening. “Just keep that in mind, and you shouldn't.”

“I dunno.” Michael shrugged. “Sometimes, I get so fuckin' angry that I don't know what the fuck to do. It scares me, but I can't really get myself to calm down easily.”

Gavin nodded slowly. “Well, you can use a stress ball, or even listen to music--”

“I've tried that, Gavin.” Michael cut Gavin off mid-sentence. “I've tried literally almost everything, and it doesn't work.” Michael paused, stopping in front of his house now. “I don't want to take my parents' spots when I have a family.” Michael's voice cracked, and he turned to face Gavin.

Gavin gasped, noticing the tears welling up in Michael's eyes, the way he bit his lip to hold back a sob, and the way that he avoided Gavin's gaze. Gavin frowned, the sight in front of him enough to make him cry, himself. But instead of breaking down and crying for Michael, he pulled Michael in a hug and held him tight. Michael wrapped his arms around Gavin's back, and rested his head on Gavin's shoulder. He kept quiet, not willing to speak a word, but instead to just stand there until he was okay.

But Michael didn't cry. He stood there, holding back his tears and sobs. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and he pulled away, a small smile on his face. “Fuck, man.”

Gavin patted Michael's shoulder. “You okay, lad?”

Michael rolled his eyes and gave a nod. “Yeah. I'm fine.” Michael walked through the gates of his house and unlocked the door, Gavin following close behind.

The house hasn't changed. It's still huge and expensive-looking as usual, and it was more than intimidating to Gavin.

Michael sat down on the couch. “Dad died just a few years ago. Mom was obviously unable to take care of me, so I moved away. I inherited most of Dad's money and I ended up getting this house and still able to pay the bills that I have to pay.” Michael finished, and he shrugged. “That's all Dad was ever good for, anyway—the money. Honestly, and this is gonna sound terrible to you, I'm glad that he's gone. He deserved to die. I can't say much about Mom, hell, I don't even know how she's doing now. She probably isn't in any good shape.”

Gavin sat down next to Michael, and sighed. “Bloody hell, Michael. I'm so sorry.”

“It's not your fucking fault.” Michael chuckled, and he lightly tapped Gavin's shoulder. “What about you? I know that Geoff's your 'close family friend', or something. What's up with that?”

“Oh.” Gavin frowned. “...My father died, too. When I was young, he was diagnosed with a heart condition that was guaranteed to kill him.” Gavin paused, not mentioning that he had the same exact heart disease. “After that, Mum ran off with some other guy. Fortunately, my Dad also left behind a large amount of money for me to use, so I got my own passport and flew to America. But, I flew here without knowing where to go, and one day Geoff happened to find me on the streets, and he took me in. And I've lived with him ever since.”

“Sounds like a better story than mine. At least he decided to take you in.” Michael frowned. “But, at least you weren't stuck. Well, despite the fact that you're stuck with his fuckin' overprotective attitude.”

Gavin shrugged. “Yeah, it's bloody annoying, but he means well.”

And they sat in silence, not willing to talk. The only sound that could be heard was the distant _tick_ of a clock, and the mumbling of some people on the TV. Gavin licked his lips and looked at Michael, noticing that Michael had been staring at him this whole time. He felt his face turn red—and he noticed Michael's features. How square his jaw was, how curly his hair seemed to be today—how it can look so tame one day and crazy another day—the freckles on his cheeks, and the way that he stared at Gavin. He didn't know why he noticed this now, and he never realized how beautiful he looked up close. Gavin felt his heart flutter—not because of the condition, but because Michael was the one causing this. He clutched at his chest—covering his action by nonchalantly 'getting an itch', and licking his lips once more.

“Fuck.” Michael groaned, and he leaned in slowly, his lips getting closer and closer to Gavin's. Gavin kept his eyes locked on Michael's lips and forced himself to stay planted where he was. He squeezed his eyes shut when Michael's lips finally came in contact with his, and Michael pushed forward even more, making Gavin lay down on he couch. Gavin suddenly grew nervous. He felt his heart pound, and he breathed heavily through his nose. He grasped at Michael's shoulders and held tightly, not wanting to let go.

“Are you okay?” Michael asked as he pulled away, a frown on his face. “If you don't want to--”

“I'm fine.” Gavin insisted, and he pulled Michael back into a kiss. Michael's eyes grew wide as a result of shock, but he quickly closed them and leaned into the kiss once more. He grabbed the hem of Gavin's shirt and pulled up, slipping his hand underneath and feeling around. Gavin gasped into the kiss, the sudden feeling of hands roaming around on his bare skin a bit surprising. His mind went hazy—Gavin was never in this situation before, and he thought that he wouldn't be for a long while.

Michael thrust his hips forward, grinding into Gavin. Gavin jolted, a little squeak was muffled. Michael smirked into the kiss, and he kept up the rhythm, not willing to stop. Gavin opened his mouth wide, letting out a loud moan—the kiss discontinued. Michael nodded, his face red and his eyes glazed over from the pleasure.

“I take that as a good sound?” He panted, and he thrust particularly hard, making Gavin whimper and let out another moan. “Yeah. You like that?”

Gavin gave a small, quick nod. He bit his lip and threw his head back, attempting to hold back his moans. However, Michael noticed this and thrust harder, snapping his hips quickly now. Gavin's mouth agape, he let out a chain of moans and whimpers. Gavin felt himself start to tremble. His moans got louder and louder, and with another quick thrust, he felt his dick start to throb. He shook violently, finding it difficult to keep still, and let out a silent scream. His eyes a bit watery from the huge amount of pleasure, he let Michael keep thrusting into his hips, letting Gavin enjoy his orgasm.

Finally, Michael panted even more and let out a groan, tensing up and froze, releasing into his own underwear. He thrust into Gavin a couple more times before pulling away, standing up from the couch now. Gavin panted, trying to catch his breath. He felt his heart throb still, and he suddenly felt pain. But he ignored it, and glanced at Michael.

“I'm gonna go change. You wanna borrow shorts?” Michael smiled.

“...What about underwear?” Gavin grimaced, looking down at the warm wet spot on his jeans.

“Or I can get you a huge ass shirt. You're small enough that it'll cover your entire body.” Michael winked, and he left to go get the shirt without Gavin's own input. Gavin sighed and stood up from the couch, barely managing to hold himself upright. His legs were weak, and they trembled with each step he took.

Michael walked out and tossed the shirt to Gavin, who caught it with ease and held it at his side. “What about my clothes?”

“What about them?” Michael asked. “I'll just have to wash them here. I don't think you wanna wear them all night.”

Gavin blushed, and he shook his head. “Well, no. I don't. But I need to go home.”

“Psh.” Michael shrugged. “You're already here. It's a Friday. We don't have school tomorrow. Here, I'll let you call Geoff from my cell phone, if you're that worried.”

Gavin's brows furrowed, and he suddenly felt angry--' _...if you're that worried._ ' Yeah, he was worried. This was Geoff—Geoff was capable of doing anything to make Gavin stay home, and he was very angry with him the last couple times that he went to Michael's without telling him.

“Hey, this is up to you, then. I tried helping.” Michael frowned. “Don't look at me like that. If you're really worried, then, I'll take you home.”

Michael offered, but Gavin stood there. He really wanted to get away from Geoff for one whole night, and this was the perfect chance. But Gavin didn't want to anger Geoff. And Gavin knew that he needed to stop feeling that way if he wanted to be free for one night.

But, what about his medicine? He hadn't taken it yet, and Michael knows nothing about his situation. Gavin bit his lip, then wincing when he felt how raw it was from biting it so hard earlier. He pursed his lips and gave a little sigh, defeated.

“I'll call him. Give me the damned phone.” Gavin gave a small smile, despite what was going through his mind.

“Atta boy.” Michael pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and tossed it to Gavin. “I'll go change. You deal with him.”

Gavin nodded and waited until Michael shut the door into the bathroom. Gavin sighed and tossed the shirt onto the couch, opening up the dialer so he could dial Geoff's number.

After a few rings, Geoff quickly answered. “Hello?” He sounded panicked and a bit irritated.

“...Geoff?”

“Gavin?” Geoff gave a sigh of relief. “Where he hell are you--”

“Listen, I won't be home tonight.” Gavin frowned, knowing that Geoff was going to be pissed.

“What do you mean 'you won't be home'? Where the _fuck_ are you?” Geoff raised his voice. Gavin winced, and hesitated to answer.

“I'm at Michael's, Geoff. Don't worry. I promise I'll be fine. I'll make sure he takes me home first thing--”

“That's not the point, Gavin.” Geoff sounded disappointed and defeated. “Your medicine. Your _heart_. Michael doesn't know, does he? I bet not. He didn't seem like he knew when he came over.” Geoff paused, expecting Gavin to reply, but he didn't. “That medicine is vital, Gavin. You miss one day, and it can fuck you up.”

“...I know.”

“You _want_ that to happen?” Geoff asked.

Gavin sighed. “No, I don't.”

“Thought so. Listen, Gavin. I understand that you want to go out and do things. Hell, Michael is the first person other than Ray that you've ever hung out with in forever. But, the thing is—I want you to be safe. That's why I have Ray come over all the time, because I can keep an eye on you. But if you stay at Michael's, I can't keep an eye on you. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“So, how about you come home and bring him with? He probably hates my fucking guts, but I want you to be near where I can actually help you out, if needed. Michael has no idea, so he can't help you by himself.” Geoff attempted to persuade Gavin, but Gavin wasn't going to take any of it.

“I want to be on my own for once, Geoff. I don't care if I'm in danger. Just for once, I would like to be with somebody else without having to worry about my health!” Gavin argued, but then he frowned. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell.”

Geoff didn't answer—instead, he kept silent, not willing to answer. Gavin thought he had lost the call, when finally Geoff spoke up.

“...Fine. Okay. I'll allow it. But, you have to tell me where he lives and let me drop off your medicine.” Geoff reasoned.

Gavin's heart almost skipped—he wasn't expecting that answer, out of all the others it could have possibly been. But the idea that Geoff wanted to drop off his medicine worried Gavin even more. Michael would find out, for sure.

“Fine. He's in the bathroom right now, so I'll call you once he's out.” Gavin closed his eyes and prayed that Michael wouldn't make any noise once he came out of the bathroom.

“All right—but make sure you call--”

“I know. Bye.”

“Bye--”

Gavin ended the call and stared at the phone. Michael walked out.

“Bathroom's open. What did he say?” Michael prepared for the worst.

“What's your address?” Gavin asked, not answering the question.

“Why? Did he say no?” Michael frowned. “I kinda expected that--”

“He said yes. But he wants the address.” Gavin replied. He decided to keep his condition as secret as possible, until he was ready to let Michael know. Whenever that was, Gavin wasn't sure, but he wanted Michael to know one day.

Now just wasn't the time.


	8. Chapter 8

“What, is he going to come and _check up on you_?” Michael cooed. “He lets you go to school for an entire day, but God forbid you stay the night at a friend's house.” He scoffed, absolutely irritated now.

Gavin frowned and kept his gaze on the ground, not willing to make eye contact. “Hey, Michael--”

“My address is 3300 West Street. Call him back and tell him. The sooner he gets here, the sooner we won't have to worry about him until tomorrow.” Michael sighed and plopped onto the couch, giving a slight shake of his head. “He's too fuckin' overprotective, goddamn.”

Gavin opened his mouth to say something, but he immediately closed it and shook his head. He dialed Geoff's number again and reluctantly told him the address.

Gavin frowned and sat down next to Michael, quietly playing with his thumbs. He kept peeking at Michael out of the corner of his eye, noticing how sincerely pissed Michael really was. Gavin felt himself growing nervous—the urge to just hurl suddenly creeping up on him. He quickly **gulped** saliva, as if it will get the urge to puke to just leave.

“...I'm sorry.” Gavin mumbled. Michael looked over, his face scrunched up with confusion.

“Why?” Michael asked, leaning away from the couch now. “What do you have to be sorry about? You're not Geoff. _He's_ the problem.” Michael shrugged. “If anything, I feel sorry for _you._ ”

Gavin looked down at the floor and kept quiet. He felt bad for Michael, but he also felt bad for Geoff—if he had never met Michael, none of this would be happening.

And Gavin was glad to have met Michael, but Geoff's been acting more ridiculous now.

Michael yawned and leaned back onto the couch again. “Yeah, don't feel bad. You don't have to apologize to me.” Michael patted Gavin's back. “It's gonna keep happening and there's nothing we can do about it, until he decides to clean his act up or something. Besides, I'm not as mad as you think I am, just frustrated as all hell.”

Gavin gave a slight nod. He closed his eyes and stood up, hearing a car outside of the house. That didn't take Geoff too long—he probably sped all the way there, anyway. He heard a series of frantic honks, attempting to get Gavin's attention.

“You better go get that.”

“Yeah, I know.” Gavin sighed and opened his eyes, making his way for the door. He opened it and went outside, quietly shutting the door behind him and then making his way over to the car. Geoff went to unbuckle himself to get out of the car, but Gavin held out his hand as a sign to 'stop'. Geoff pursed his lips and threw his body against his seat, pinching at the bridge of his nose.

When Gavin reached the driver's door, he rolled down the window and placed a pill in his hand. “You're lucky.”

Gavin quickly tossed the pill in his mouth and swallowed, tilting his head back a bit to get the pill to go down easier. “Yeah, I am.”

Geoff narrowed his eyes at Gavin and shook his head. “Y'know, I could have said no.”

“I know. And I'm bloody glad you didn't.” Gavin retorted, jittery to get back inside.

Geoff nodde slowly. “...You need to tell Michael.”

“I'll get to it.”

“Don't have an attitude with me.” Geoff snapped, noticing how much of a smart ass Gavin was being. “I won't hesitate to change my mind.”

Gavin pursed his lips and looks away from Geoff. “I'll tell him when I'm ready.”

“And when will that be?” Geoff inquired, knowing that Gavin will back out before even telling Michael. “I know you, Gav.” Geoff paused, realizing that Gavin wasn't going to reply. “I can tell him for--”

“No!” Gavin screamed, but then he covered his mouth and sighed. “No. I want to do it by myself.”

“You're too hard-headed,” Geoff scoffed. Geoff tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and gave a slight nod. “If you don't tell Michael by the end of this week, I'm doing it for you. I don't care if you hate me anymore than you do now,” Geoff paused, sounding hurt at this point, “but he needs to know. I'm not going to let him be around you if he has no clue what to do if you were to fuckin' collapse, or something.”

Gavin bit his lip. “Fine. Do whatever you want. I just want to tell him when _I'm_ ready. You don't realize how difficult it is to tell people that sort of thing?” Gavin crossed his arms. “Bloody hell, Geoff. It's bad enough that I _live_ with it. I don't like telling others because I feel like they won't want to deal with a smegpot like me.”

Geoff frowned. “I understand, but--”

“I'm going in now, Geoff. I'll be home tomorrow.” Gavin started to walk away, ignoring Geoff's calls.

Geoff angrily gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath, calming himself down. He watched Gavin go back into the house, and he drove away, dropping the subject at hand and keeping it in mind when the time comes.

Gavin walked in and shut the door, being careful not to slam it so Michael wouldn't wonder why he was angry. Michael looked over from the TV and smiled. “Everything go okay?”

“...Yeah, everything went fine.” Gavin smiled, lying. “He just told me that I needed to be home early tomorrow morning.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “Well, at least he's being nicer about it. I don't feel right about him, though.” Michael frowned.

Gavin's heart started pounding with nervousness—it was too coincidental. He hoped that Geoff wouldn't do anything against Gavin's word, but Geoff was also very stubborn. “I bet you don't.” Gavin replied nervously, sitting down next to Michael again. Gavin gave a small chuckle and shrugged. “Well, he seems different now.” Gavin still continued to spout lies. “It may be a one time thing, but we'll never know.”

Michael shrugged. “I guess so.” He directed his attention back toward the TV, silence taking over. Gavin sighed and looked down, not willing to talk again.

He knew it was probably a bad idea to come here, but he really wanted to get away for one night. It was the first time in a long time that he stayed the night at a friend's house, and he thought it would be fun and worth it. But now that he looked at it, it really wasn't—it was more of a mistake. He should have waited until he could earn Geoff's trust—but now, if he didn't tell Michael by Sunday, Geoff was going to do it for him.

Gavin wanted to tell, but then again he didn't. He was extremely conflicted, and he felt like he was running around in circles. He _was_ running around in circles—he was get some courage to tell Michael, but then he would back down once he realized the possible devastating effects. He didn't know if Michael would really do that, and it didn't hurt to try—but he didn't want to try and be stuck without him in his life.

“Something on your mind?”

Gavin jumped, noticing Michael had been looking at him this whole time. “You looked like you were lost in some deep fuckin' thoughts, or something.”

Gavin frantically shook his head, attempting to smile to cover himself. “No, you donut.” Gavin paused, thinking of what to say next without giving himself away. “I'm just really tired.” Gavin wasn't completely lying this time—he was, in fact, tired.

“Pfft,” Michael sputtered. “Tired? Wow, you're lame.” Michael got up from the couch and stretched. “Well, if you're really tired, you can go to bed now.”

Gavin looked at the clock—it was only six. Gavin bit his lip and shook his head. “It's too early for that. If I go to bed now, I'll be up all bloody night and it would just be a load of bollocks.”

Michael nodded slowly, his brows furrowed. “...Okay.” He said, unsure. “Whatever you say.”

Michael sat back down, and Gavin took a deep breath. He had a feeling that Geoff was bluffing—just a small hunch that Geoff was trying to get Gavin all riled up. He hoped that was the case. As long as he had that in mind, he didn't really have to tell just yet.

He still wasn't ready to tell.

After going around in circles—his mind felt dizzy. Fuzzy, going from one decision to the other.

He hated being indecisive. He hated how he could be manipulated by someone like Geoff so easily.

Gavin leaned back on the couch and directed his attention toward the show that was on the TV. He smiled—he knew Geoff wouldn't hurt him. He just needed to relax and get his mind all straightened out.

Michael noticed the smile on Gavin's face and shrugged, completely and totally unaware of what was going through Gavin's head in just that moment.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning was beyond frustrating for Gavin.

“Gav, wake up.” Michael shook Gavin's body gently. “Hey, shithead.”

“What?” Gavin groaned, attempting to turn around to face away from Michael. Michael shook his head and stopped Gavin from turning, making him stay in his original position.

“Wake up, you idiot. We slept in.” Michael looked at the clock on his phone. “It's past twelve.”

Gavin shot up from the couch and looked over at Michael, his eyes wide. “Why didn't you wake me up earlier?” He practically screamed, throwing the blanket off of him and pushing himself up from the couch. “Geoff's gonna be angry--”

“Didn't you hear me? I said _we_ slept in. 'We' means more than one, Gavin.” Michael rolled his eyes and started to fold the blanket, making the couch look nice and neat like Gavin wasn't even there in the first place.

Gavin looked around frantically. “Where did you put my clothes?”

Michael pointed in the general direction where his washer and dryer were and watched Gavin run quickly. Michael sighed and leaned against the arm of the couch, waiting patiently for Gavin to finish getting dressed.

Gavin appeared from behind the wall with one leg in his jeans and the other one still out and about—he tried to put that leg in his jeans but as he attempted to do so, he lost his balance and fell down on the floor. Michael's eyes grew wide as he took a moment to realize what just happened, then he burst out with laughter.

“You're a fucking idiot, oh my _God_.” Michael chuckled, still watching as Gavin stood up again and tried to put his leg in again. Successfully putting his jeans on, he pulled the waistband up and buttoned the jeans, finishing with the zipper. He took a deep breath.

“That was a bloody challenge.”

“For you, I bet it was.”

So, with one last final check to make sure that Gavin grabbed everything that he brought over, they head outside and make their way back to Gavin's house.

They walked for about ten minutes in silence—and to break it, Michael brought up Geoff.

“Why do you think he's like that?” Michael asked, looking over at Gavin. He squinted, the afternoon sun shining brightly in his eyes.

“Like what?” Gavin shrugged.

“You know what I'm talking about.” Michael sighed, looking back ahead to get the sun out of his eyes. “Why is he so overprotective?”

Gavin pursed his lips and thought for a moment. “...Dunno. I've thought about it, but I can never figure out why he acts like that.”

“There's nothing that you can think of that would make him act like that, at all?” Michael asked. “There has to be something.”

Gavin shrugged again. “It could be the fact that he's the one who found me with no home.” Gavin paused. “You know, making sure that I have someone who cares about me?” Gavin didn't even know himself.

“...That's reasonable.” Michael nodded. “Does he not realize that being a bit too overprotective can cause problems, like what you're doing now?”

“What am I doing?”

“You're practically a rebel, Gavin. A teenage rebel.” Michael pointed out. “It's that stage that every parent dreads.”

“You think so?” Gavin asked, tapping his fingers on the sides of his legs.

Michael sighed and walked quickly in front of Gavin, and he turned around and started to walk backwards. “Come on. You ran away from home once. You left school without going home with him a couple of times, give or take, to go with _me_. If that's not a sign of rebellion, then I don't know what is.” Michael winked. “If you keep it up, man, then he might loosen up.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Nah, I don't think so.”

“You never know. You said that he's been letting loose just yesterday, so maybe it's a start.”

Gavin slowly nodded and gave an awkward chuckle. “...Yeah, he has.” Gavin wanted to hit himself for lying. Now that he thought about it—he's been hiding things from Michael for a while, now. He's been lying about who he was and Michael doesn't have an idea.

“Can you believe it? We're here already.” Michael pointed at Gavin's house. “I mean...Ah man, we're here already.” Michael frowned, attempting to make the statement sound sad. “That sucks.”

Gavin shrugged. He grabbed Michael's hand and moved out of the way of the window, making sure that Geoff wouldn't see. He smiled softly and wrapped his arms around Michael, pulling him into an embrace. Michael brought his own arms around Gavin's waist, resting his head on Gavin's shoulders.

“Have fun.” Michael nodded and pulled away. “I'll be at my place, if you ever need to leave or something. I don't fucking know.” Michael then frowned and watched Gavin make his way to his door.

“Yeah. I know.” Gavin replied. “Bye.”

“See ya.”

Gavin quickly walked inside the house and shut the door, waiting to hear Geoff's footsteps stomping loudly on the floor in a rage—but he didn't hear it.

“Geoff?”

No answer. Gavin kicked his shoes off and walked out into the living room, expecting Geoff to be sitting on the couch with a half-full can of beer. But nobody was out there. The TV was off and the curtains were even left shut. Gavin pursed his lips and went back to the hallway where the bedrooms were.

“Geoff? You here?” Gavin noticed that Geoff's door was cracked open, and a light appeared through the crack. Gavin held his breath and peeked through the crack, giving a sigh of relief when he realized that Geoff was actually watching TV in his room. His beer was in hand, resting on his lap. Gavin pushed the door open slowly and walked in, noticing Geoff's head snapping over to his general direction. “I'm home.” Gavin nearly whispered.

Geoff gave a slight nod.

“...I just wanted to let you know.” Gavin was confused—Geoff wasn't snapping on him like he usually did.

Geoff nodded again, acknowledging what Gavin was saying.

“What's wrong?”

Geoff shook his head. Gavin sighed and pursed his lips, walking out of the room, not willing to try talking to Geoff anymore. He didn't know what was wrong with Geoff, and honestly, he could care less. If Geoff is trying to “let loose”, it's not the way that Gavin preferred. He went back up to his room and shut the door, willing to spend the rest of his Saturday watching TV and playing video games.

It wasn't until about a couple of hours later that Geoff finally decided to come in and talk. Gavin set down the controller to his game and waited to hear what he had to say.

Silence filled the room.

“What?” Gavin asked, trying to get Geoff to talk.

Geoff leaned against the door frame and sighed. “Welcome home.”

“Only two hours later.” Gavin smirked and waited for him to continue. Geoff went to say something but he immediately closed his mouth, rolling his eyes as his final response. “Why were you ignoring me?”

“Technically, I wasn't ignoring you.”

“ _Okay_.” Gavin took a deep breath. “Then why didn't you answer me?”

Geoff shrugged. “Wasn't in the mood to.”

“Why?”

“Just didn't feel like it, Gavin.”

More silence. The conversation didn't start out as well as Gavin hoped he would, but he still wasn't expecting too much in the first place.

“...How was Michael's.” It wasn't even a question. It sounded empty, somewhat sad, and definitely full of well-hidden anger. Gavin didn't like the sound of it.

“Great, actually.” Gavin decided to mess with Geoff—not that Michael's was terrible in the first place, but he wanted to get on Geoff's nerves. He noticed the surprise on Geoff's face—and then the bitterness that replaced it.

Geoff's jaw clenched shut as he tried to think of something else to say. “ _Great,_ huh?” Geoff gave a slight chuckle as a way to show his frustration. “I suppose it was better than being here?”

“Well, I wouldn't say that.” Gavin paused. “You said it, not me.”

Geoff took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You really have some nerve, you little shit.”

Gavin sat awkwardly on his bed as he watched Geoff clench and unclench his fists—Geoff was definitely pissed, now. He didn't know what to say.

“It's obvious that you don't give a shit, now.” Geoff muttered, turning around to face the door. He shrugged. “I guess.” He walked out of the room and shut the door quietly—not in the fit of rage that Gavin had expected. Geoff can be really scary when he's angry—but this time around, he was strangely gentle. Gavin didn't know how to feel about that, but he shrugged it away and continued his video game to forget what happened. Besides, he was sure everything would be back to normal the next day or so.

Geoff let go of the door handle and walked down the stairs, tapping his fingers impatiently on the railing as he did so. He bit his lip and held back the urge to scream—he never felt so angry before in his entire life. Gavin was messing with him. He didn't like the way that Gavin was practically taking advantage of him. He did everything he could for Gavin to make him happy, and he treats him like that? Geoff _despised_ it.

“I do my best to make sure he's healthy and happy. I do my best to make sure that he takes his medicine. I literally do everything that I can to make sure that he won't get in trouble, that he won't turn out to be some terrible person and look what's happened.” Geoff talked to himself once he reached the bottom of the stairs, sure that Gavin couldn't hear now. “I even held off on telling _him_ everything about Gavin just to see if Gavin would clear up his act, but apparently that won't fucking happen.” Geoff continued with his rambling, clearly frustrated with Gavin.

He looked at his car keys hanging up beside the door. All it would take is a drive over to Michael's and a spill of a “secret” to make Gavin realize that he can't do whatever he wants like that. That's all it took. Simple.

And Geoff took that opportunity. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, making sure this was the right thing to do because, while he didn't want to hurt Gavin's feelings at the same time, he wanted Michael to know. Since Gavin likes Michael more and wants to hang out with him nearly all the time, then Michael _has_ to know. He needs to be prepared if something happens when they're hanging out.

Geoff grabbed his car keys and rushed outside to his car. He hopped in on the driver's side hastily and put the key in the ignition and backed out of the driveway, not even putting his seat belt on.

“I'll just bring it up to him as nicely as possible.” Geoff mumbled, pressing random buttons on the radio to find a station that has music. “I'll tell him that, as long as he has the capability to, he can keep hanging around Gavin. _Fuck!_ ” Geoff cursed. His heart pounded and he felt incredibly anxious.

Not too long later, he pulled up onto the side of the road by Michael's house. He turned off the car and left the car keys in the ignition, shutting the door behind him as he quickly walked up to Michael's door.

He gave a defeated sigh as he rang the door bell, pressing the button multiple of times to show his impatience.

He heard rustling from the inside and took that as his cue to stop ringing, dropping his arm to his side. He tapped his foot on the ground.

The door opened slowly, and a face peeked out from behind.

“Geoff? ...What are you doing here?”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geoff shows up at Michael’s doorstep and tells Michael of Gavin’s condition. Gavin doesn’t take it too well when Geoff comes home and gives word that Michael now knows what is wrong with him.

“...What are you doing here?” Michael narrowed his eyes at Geoff. He suddenly felt uneasy—he didn't expect Geoff to show up at his doorstep the same day he took Gavin home.

“I need to talk to you.” Geoff almost talked in a low whisper. It worried Michael even more.

“If it's about Gavin, then I don't want to hear it--”

Geoff pushed the door open, making Michael nearly fall backwards. He caught his balance and tried to push Geoff back outside, but Geoff held his arm out to stop Michael. Michael eventually gave up and stood back a distance, not willing to be anywhere close to Geoff. “...Fine. What the fuck do you want?” He crossed his arms, showing a scowl on his face to show that he wasn't happy with Geoff.

Geoff took a moment to think of what he wanted to say, and then he gave a slight nod. “First of all, I want you to tell me something.” Geoff noticed Michael listening intently, but he didn't answer. Geoff asked anyway, “I want you to promise me that, no matter what I tell you today, you won't leave Gavin hanging around in the dust.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Michael asked, confused. “What does that—”

“Yes, or no?” Geoff interrupted, his gaze fixed on Michael.

Michael shrugged. “--Yeah. Sure, I will.”

“That doesn't sound too sincere.” Geoff crossed his arms. “If you aren't, then--”

“I said yes, _dumbass_.” Michael emphasized his insult, only making Geoff fume even more.

“Great to hear,” Geoff rolled his eyes. “I shouldn't even tell you this yet but...” He paused, taking another second to think of what to say. “It's for the best.”

“You make it sound like it's something extremely devastating.” Michael commented, his foot tapping impatiently on the floor.

“That's because it is.”

Silence filled the room. Michael's face grew sullen—and the whole atmosphere changed from hatred to seriousness. The scowl left Michael's face and was replaced with a frown. “What's wrong?” Michael found it hard to swallow. Nervousness settled in, and anger wasn't his problem anymore.

Geoff pursed his lips. “I knew you would listen.” Geoff paused, and then he gave a small chuckle. “You really do care about him?”

“Of course I do.” Michael replied, his jaw clenching when he realized that Geoff was still unsure of whether to tell him or not. “It may have only been a couple of weeks or so, but Gavin really means a lot to me.”

Geoff nodded and took a deep breath. “...I'm glad, I guess.” Geoff mumbled and he shrugged. “I'll take your word for it.”

“So, you gonna tell me or what?” Michael pointed at Geoff. “You didn't come here so we could just have small talk. I wanna hear what the fuck is happening, because it isn't good.”

“I know. I'm sorry.” Geoff smiled, and he cleared his throat. “Don't get mad.” Geoff looked at Michael's face and waited, making sure he had nothing else to say. He bit his lip and started again. “Gavin's been lying about something.” Geoff paused. “Or, really, just hiding something.”

Michael showed no emotion. Instead, he gave a small nod to let Geoff continue.

“Gavin has a... _problem_ , you see.” Geoff coughed, trying to drag this out as long as possible. He felt bad for telling when Gavin so desperately wanted to hide it, but Geoff still knew it was for a good cause. Besides, he threatened to tell if Gavin didn't tell by Sunday, anyway. “His heart is weak. If it's overworked, it can be fatal.” Geoff paused to let that sink in. “Any sort of physical activity would fuckin' drop his ass. He would be lucky if he could live through it, but the doctor said he wouldn't live to be too old.

“Gavin doesn't know that yet, though. The doctor told me to try and keep it a secret for a while until he's an adult that can go on his own because any sort of major stress on him wouldn't be good for his heart.” Geoff licked his lips and sighed. “He's a good boy, you know. It sucks that he was the one who has to deal with that. As a younger kid, he wouldn't have been able to play with anybody else because his heart just couldn't take it. He told me he would either have to sit around on the benches or the ground and watch the others play, or just stay inside and practically do nothing except read. But the kids never asked why Gavin did that, because they knew. And he wasn't made fun of for it.” Geoff shook his head. “I'm getting off track. Sorry. It's just, I didn't want Gavin to hide it from you for the time that you guys are together because you can never know what the fuck could happen. Shit, he could have even collapsed yesterday night and you wouldn't know what the fuck to do. You wouldn't know why.”

Realization dawned on Michael's face. He suddenly felt a cold sweat on his body—no wonder Gavin was out of breath that one night when he ran away from home. He was panting up a huge storm and he looked pale, and Michael didn't know why. He just thought Gavin was severely out of shape, but he didn't even think of the possibility that his heart was just so weak. Michael pursed his lips and looked at his feet, not sure of what to say.

“He takes medicine to decrease the possibility of overworking his heart, but still, any sort of physical activity could trigger it. Even walking.” Geoff shrugged. “That's why I didn't want him over. That's why I keep him on a tight leash because, God dammit, I don't want him to collapse.” Geoff clenched his teeth together in a fit of rage. “I don't him to die, most of all.” He said through clenched teeth, shaking his head. “I know he probably hates me for trying to keep him away from you, but really, I don't mean anything bad. I just want him to be okay...you know? It would kill me to have him collapse and, possibly, die.”

Silence filled the room again, the entire speech that Geoff had going on over and over again in his head. Geoff really did care about Gavin—it wasn't that he was a heartless, overprotective bastard of a parent, but because he really was worried about Gavin's well-being. It made Michael shiver—but it all made sense. He just had no idea why Gavin wouldn't tell.

Michael looked back up at Geoff and opened his mouth to say something, but he hesitated. Why would Geoff even know?

“Just go and say it, I can tell you wanna ask something.” Geoff shrugged.

Michael pursed his lips. “...Why wouldn't Gavin say anything about it?”

Geoff slowly opened his mouth to reply, but it took a while for him to come up with something. “I'm not too sure. He might be afraid? He doesn't like it when people just up and leave him, so he's probably afraid that you would leave if you knew what was wrong with him. Sometimes people don't want to be burdened with a responsibility like making sure that someone doesn't overwork himself, so Gavin probably had a feeling that you wouldn't care about him anymore and stop talking him. He's had a problem making friends and only has one close friend other than you right now, so I can see why he would be afraid.” Geoff paused. “Though I wish he would have gotten over that fear and let you know so that way _he_ would know if you would be willing to stick with him.”

Michael took a deep breath, all of the information he just took in was extremely overwhelming. The thing that confused him the most was the fact that Gavin had been hiding all of this information since they first met, and it seemed like he wasn't going to tell about it anytime soon. Gavin probably thought he could live his entire life without telling Michael anything at all.

“Are you mad?”

There it was.

“Not exactly.”

“Then how do you feel?” Geoff sounded irritated now. “I can't tell what the fuck you're thinking.”

Michael shrugged. “I don't know.” Michael was being honest—he really had no idea what to feel. “I'm not mad.”

“Do you hate him?”

“No.”

Geoff was asking the real questions, here. But it still made Michael somewhat angry in the end. It's like Geoff had no trust in him whatsoever.

Michael didn't blame him, though. There were many reasons to lose trust in a person, and with all of the things that he influenced Gavin to do—it must have worried Geoff sick. Geoff had every reason to be unsure with Michael and yet, he couldn't shake off the anger welling up inside him. He took the time to calm himself before he spoke again.”No, I don't hate him any less.” He took his time to think of the right words to say so that Geoff wouldn't take anything the wrong way. He didn't want to make anything worse between them. “Maybe...betrayed? I don't fucking know, man. I'm all sorts of different things, there's not one _exact_ feeling that I feel right now.”

Geoff shrugged. “I didn't expect too much, though...Not that I'm expecting any less of you as a person, I mean just everything. You're probably confused as dicks right now.”

“Whatever you say.” Michael gave an exasperated sigh. “Well, thanks for telling me, I guess.” Michael didn't know what to say. “I'll talk to Gavin about it the next time we're together.”

Geoff frowned. “Don't be too harsh on the boy.”

“I know.”

Geoff took a couple of steps backwards and waved, then he turned around completely, opening the door and making his way back to his car. Michael stood in silence, waiting for the sound of Geoff's car to drive away before he did anything. Michael pulled out his cellphone and stared at it.

“He doesn't have a fucking phone.” Michael scowled, then he walked back out into his living room and tossed the phone onto the table, not caring how rough he was with it. He could get another one if it broke so he wasn't too worried.

“How can I nonchalantly bring this up to him without making him pissed?” Michael asked himself, resting the back of his hand on the side of his face. He brought his legs up onto the couch and curled them up to his side, looking straight at the black screen of his TV. Michael hummed to himself, thinking up of different scenarios where he would tell Gavin what he found it, and Gavin would react differently each time.

He hoped that Gavin wouldn't be too angry.

Geoff walked into the house, throwing his car keys on the counter. He should probably let Gavin know that he told Michael before Gavin gets the wrong idea. He took a deep breath and pursed his lips, knowing that this wouldn't end well.

Gavin made his way down the stairs and he immediately stopped. “Where did you go?”

Geoff looked up at Gavin, his heart pounding. He shouldn't be nervous. “Oh...Uh,” Geoff hesitated to answer. “Michael's.” He muttered under his breath. He looked away for a brief second.

Gavin couldn't stand still. He gripped the rail of the stairs. “You went to _Michael's_?” Gavin asked. “Did you tell him?”

Geoff looked back at Gavin and gave a small nod, not wanting to speak.

“I thought you weren't supposed to go until tomorrow?” Gavin kept back his anger. He could feel his face turning red.

“I went today. The sooner the better.” Geoff kept looking around Gavin—not directly at him. “Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't tell tomorrow anyway.”

“You don't know that.”

“Yes I do. I know you like the back of my fucking hand, Gavin. Don't tell me that I have no idea how you are as a person, because you would go over to Michael's place and chicken out at the last fucking moment. You're too fucking scared to tell him, even _I_ can see that.” Geoff gasped, and he pursed his lips. “I'm sorry.” He realized how harsh his tone was right after he finished his small rant, and he didn't mean to come off like that. He wanted to be gentle, but he couldn't help it now.

Gavin looked down at his feet. He bit his lip, knowing what Geoff said was absolutely true. Gavin couldn't deny it—he had wanted to show Geoff that he wasn't as chicken as Geoff thought he was, but he just couldn't do it. He didn't want to risk losing Michael; he didn't want to risk losing his new friend, the one who showed him how to be his own person and not rely on somebody else.

Gavin didn't want to talk to Geoff anymore, but he needed to know. “...Is he mad?” Gavin paused and he looked back to Geoff, who had a guilty look on his face. “Does he hate me? How much does he know?” The questions came out rapidly. Gavin barely took a breath. “How did he take it? What's going to--”

“Gav, wait.” Geoff held out his hand to signal 'stop'. “You're worrying too much.”

“You're bloody right I'm worrying too much!” Gavin exclaimed, throwing his arms out to show his anger even more. “You just told _my_ friend something that I didn't want him to know yet! I have every right to be worrying.” Gavin's voice slowly died down—he was on the verge of tears. He had never been this emotional before, but he wouldn't let himself cry in front of Geoff. Or rather, he didn't want to cry at all. “I've never felt so angry. So betrayed.”

“You agreed to me doing this.”

“But it's _not_ Sunday! It's Saturday night.”

“Let's not get into this again.” Geoff sighed, pacing towards the kitchen. “He's not mad. He doesn't hate you. He feels bad.” Geoff paused. “He wondered why you didn't tell him. He said he wouldn't have left you alone.” Geoff turned around before walking into the kitchen to grab a glass of whiskey. “He _promised_ me that he wouldn't hate you. So, if you're worried that much, then there's that. At least you know he doesn't hate your guts or anything.” He turned around and continued for the kitchen, and called back. “Go and visit him tomorrow. I'll allow it.”

Gavin never thought he would hear those words out of his mouth any time soon. “You won't be mad?”

“No.”

“I won't be in trouble?” Gavin asked, fearing the worst.

“Nope.” Geoff called back casually, then walked out with his glass of whiskey a few seconds later. “I'm serious.”

Gavin's heart pounded—but he didn't feel in pain. In fact, he was overjoyed. “You're serious?” Gavin continued to ask, not sure of what he was actually hearing.

“You better stop asking before I change my fucking mind.” Geoff muttered, and went out to the living room—but it was just loud enough for Gavin to hear it.

It was like Gavin's anger left him completely—he felt like he wasn't even angry in the first place. It was so weird, but Gavin was definitely in a better mood. He wished he had a cell phone so he could text Michael, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do it.

He didn't even know if he could visit him tomorrow.

This was Gavin's chance—Geoff was practically letting him have a freebie. But Gavin felt something like fear inside, and he didn't know if he would be able to walk over to Michael's so casually and just _talk_ about it. It was bad enough that he hid it from Michael for quite a while.

Gavin quickly ran upstairs and went into his room, shutting the door behind him. He needed to decide what to do, now.

He goes to Michael's tomorrow and talks to him about it straightforward to clear up anything else that Michael might want to ask, or he waits until Monday to let Michael confront him there.

These were hefty choices and Gavin had no idea what he wanted to do, but he was leaning towards the latter.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin decides to wait for Michael to confront Gavin about his heart condition and why he hid it from him--except, it goes a lot easier than Gavin thought. It was like Michael didn't even know. The two act completely normal.

“You gonna talk to Michael today?”

“Nah.”

Geoff raised an eyebrow. “No?”

“Nah.” Gavin repeated again, pressing buttons viciously on his controller, his eyes concentrated on his TV screen. He refused to pause the game and look at Geoff.

“So you're just going to wait until Monday? You're gonna let him hang like that?” Geoff asked, leaning against the door frame. “That's a little harsh.”

Gavin shrugged. “I don't think he's too worried about it.” Gavin lied. He was pretty sure that it bothered Michael greatly. He was surprised that Michael hadn't found his way over to Gavin's place yet, but there was still enough time left in the day.

Gavin didn't want Michael to show up. In fact, he just didn't want to see Michael at all. He had a feeling that Michael would go on some rant about how stupid Gavin was to hide something so important from him.

Either that, or Michael would just cease all talking and interaction with Gavin completely. As much as Gavin didn't want that to happen, he felt like that a lot of weight would be lifted off of his shoulders if it did. He hated having people worry over him, and even though he worried Geoff for a while there, making Michael worry was something that Gavin wanted to avoid completely. And it worked, until Geoff decided to ruin it.

“...I disagree. But, whatever. It's your choice.” Geoff responded, his lips pursed. He put his hands into his pockets and sighed. “...Listen, I'm sorry. But it _was_ for your own good, after all. I don't want Michael to be left hanging like that. So, please trust me when I say that I'm doing the right fucking thing, even if you don't believe me.” Geoff waited to see if Gavin would reply—he didn't—so he turned around and left the room without another word.

Gavin stared at the TV screen. He paused the game, keeping his eyes concentrated on the screen. He bit his lip and gripped the controller. “I guess.” Gavin mumbled out loud, a little disappointed because of what Geoff had just said. He didn't know if it was good or not. He just wished that he didn't have to worry about it anymore—

–he just wished that he didn't have that stupid heart disease.

So, the next day, Gavin kept himself on guard. Michael could pop up at any moment, and Gavin wanted to be prepared. He went through his day normally—he ate breakfast and went to his classes. He got his lunch and headed up the Usual Spot.

This was the difficult part, though. Gavin knew that Michael would come up there. That's where they met, anyway. Michael probably didn't abandon it just like that, so Gavin knew he would be confronted soon.

Or, now.

Gavin heard footsteps—Michael was walking up the stairs. “I figured you would be up here.” He commented, making his way over to Gavin. He plopped down on his bottom and set his food to the side. “Hey, what's wrong? You look pale.”

Gavin nearly choked on his spit. He pursed his lips and looked the other way, afraid to make eye contact. “...Nothing.”

“You all right?” Michael patted Gavin's back. “Hey, what's wrong? Seriously.”

“You know.” Gavin frowned. “You don't seem to be too bloody bothered by it.”

“By what?” Michael asked. A few seconds later, he nodded. “Oh. No, I'm not bothered by it.” He paused. “It's too bad that you didn't let me know sooner. I would have understood, dude.”

Gavin nodded. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Michael replied. He patted Gavin's back. “Seriously.”

They both sat in silence—Gavin wasn't willing to reply. He didn't even know what to say, at this point. He was extremely surprised at Michael's calm attitude. He _at least_ expected Michael to go off on him—but it seemed like Michael had no plans for that. It seriously confused Gavin and he had no idea how to react.

“You okay?” Michael asked again, obviously noticing that Gavin still didn't look right.

“I'm sorry.” Gavin muttered and shrugged. “I didn't think you would be so understanding.” Gavin paused and tapped his foot on the ground, his head hung low. “I thought you would be mad and thought you wouldn't bloody give a damn.”

Michael remembered the conversation back with Geoff—Geoff was right on the dot. That's why Gavin didn't tell Michael; Gavin was afraid of abandonment. Michael continued to pat Gavin's back, hoping that it would be reassuring. “No, dude. I wouldn't leave you like that. I'm not a dick, though I may look it.” Michael chuckled and shook his head—he grew quiet quickly. “...Seriously, though. I'm not going to let a heart problem turn me away from you.”

Gavin couldn't help but give a little smile. He saw Michael bend down to look at Gavin's face. “There it is.” Michael gave another chuckle and sighed, leaning back. “You don't have to worry. If I were to abandon you, I wouldn't be here right now. I probably would have just left you be and not bother to come and talk to you about it.” Michael said. He looked down at his lunch and cursed. “Shit, I should probably eat this before it gets too late.”

Gavin looked over, noticing Michael's usual lunch—a sandwich and a bottle of Mountain Dew. The only thing that was extra this time was a bag of pretzels. Michael quickly opened the sandwich bag and took a bite, and he looked back over at Gavin. “What?” Michael asked with a full mouth. He looked over to Gavin's side, only to see that he had no lunch. “Did you eat already?” He asked once he swallowed all of the food that was in his mouth.

Gavin pursed his lips and nodded. He attempted to lie, but as he shook his head, his stomach gave a growl—it's as if his stomach knew better. Gavin bit his lip and looked away, refusing to look at Michael.

A few seconds later, he heard the sound of the pretzel back being ripped open. Michael shoved the bag into Gavin's lap and left it there as he went back to finish his sandwich. Gavin looked down and grabbed the back, shoving back to Michael.

“Dude, fuckin' take it.” Michael groaned, pushing it back towards Gavin. “You're hungry. You didn't even eat lunch, stupid.” Michael quickly took a drink of his Mountain Dew and set the bottle in between Gavin and him. “Drink some of this, too.”

“No.” Gavin whined, reluctantly holding the pretzel bag in his hand. “I don't want it--”

“Yes you do.” Michael replied, taking another bite of his sandwich. “Don't fuckin' lie. Take it, and enjoy it. I have a sandwich and it's enough.”

Gavin sighed and kicked his feet with frustration. “Fine.” He stuck his hand in the bag and pulled a pretzel out. He put the entire piece in his mouth and chewed. He looked back down at the bag and took two more pretzels out, stuffing them into his mouth and then chewed again. Michael smirked, taking yet another bite out of his sandwich.

“Told ya.” Michael said. “Stupid.” He added quickly afterward, and taking another bite.

Gavin looked over and smiled. “Shut up, you pleb.”

“Hey! I helped you out, the most you could say is a 'thanks'.”

Gavin set the bag down to take a swig out of Michael's Mountain Dew bottle. After swallowing the cold drink down, Gavin gave a sigh of relief and smiled.

“Thanks.” He paused. “It means a lot.”

“No problem.”

Gavin was impressed. It was like nothing even happened in the first place—they had communicated with each other without the daunting information of Gavin's heart disease in mind. It was like Michael never even knew.

Gavin was relieved. He was happy that Michael was thoughtful and considerate—and that he didn't go into a whole rant about all of it. It made it easier on Gavin, and he was sure that Michael knew that Gavin felt uncomfortable talking about the disease.

Even though Geoff went and told Michael about it earlier than Gavin wanted, he wasn't so mad anymore. In fact, it was actually a good thing (who knew?). He didn't want to admit it, but he was somewhat thankful for Geoff doing what he did.

He would never thank Geoff for it, though.


End file.
